Magnifying cap for medicine bottle



No. 22, 1960 F, S OHNS N 2,961,108

MAGNIFYING CAP FOR MEDICINE BOTTLE Filed Dec. 19, 1957 ATTORNEYS.

United States Patent MAGNIFYING CAP FOR MEDICINE BOTTLE Frances S. Johnson, Highway 25, West Chester, Ohio Filed Dec. 19, 1957, Ser. No. 703,856

2 Claims. (Cl. 215-37) This invention relates to a magnifying top or cap for a medicine container of the type most commonly utilized by doctors and druggists to dispense both liquid and solid medicines.

This invention has been prompted by a particular need for handy visual aid in reading the inscription on medicine bottle labels without the use of eyeglasses. Where the container itself is small, label space is very limited which necessitates either that the letters of the inscription by very tiny or that the instructions be abbreviated. In either event the inscription identifying the medicine or providing the instructions as to proper use is difficult to read even for one with perfect eyesight.

In many instances, pills or medicines are to be taken at periodic intervals throughout the night, and the problem of reading the label inscription is particularly difiicult if the light in the room is subdued and bottles containing three or four different kinds of medicines are on the night stand, as is frequently the case. Confusion is apt to occur also through the similarity of the bottles in which various types of medicines are dispensed by the pharmacist, and the possibility of error is aggravated if the person who is to take the pills normally requires eyeglasses for reading. The objective of this invention has been to provide a medicine container or pill bottle equipped with a cap which may be of conventional form or construction insofar as its attachment to the bottle is concerned, but which, as a bottle closing portion of the cap, comprises a magnifying lens through which the label inscription on the bottle is magnified so as to become plainly visible when the inscription is viewed through the lens. The lens may be molded as an integral part of the cap portion or inserted therein.

For the attainment of these and such other objects as may appear or be pointed out, I have shown an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a magnifying cap of the present invention in place of a typical pill bottle.

Figure 2 is a front elevational, partially diagrammatic view disclosing the cap being used to magnify a portion of the label on a pill bottle.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view taken along lines 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure l discloses a preferred embodiment of my invention in which the magnifying cap 1 is shown in a closed position on the open end of a pill bottle 2 having an instructional medicinal label. The magnifying cap 1 is comprised of a collar or skirt portion 4 upon the upper end of which magnifying glass portion 5 is mounted or integrally molded. The inner circumferential portion of the fastening collar 4 may either be threaded to screw on to the top portion of the bottle, or may be of such diameter as to form a friction fit or snap therewith. The outer circumference of the collar may either be serrated or knurled to provide a firm grip for twisting the top on or ofi and for holding it during its use as a magnifying glass as is disclosed in Figure 2 at 6.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view of the magnifying cap which shows the magnifying lens 5 seated inside the collar portion 4, which is preferably formed of a suitable plastic material such as polyethylene or molded out of styrene, lexiglas or other suitable plastic. In such construction the magnifying lens 5 is press-fitted to the inside of the collar and seats against an annular shoulder 7 which protrudes slightly from the inner circumference of the skirt at its upper end or other suitable means of fastening. The lens may be made of glass but preferably is an inexpensive lens formed of transparent plastic composition formed by molding either separately or as an integral part of the cap.

When the cap is made of polyethylene or similar plastic material, as is preferred, its slight elasticity enables the lens to be snap-fitted into a circumferential groove in the skirt, if desired, in preference to the shoulder-seat construction, or the lens may be held in place by cement or friction. The invention also contemplates constructions wherein the entire cap is molded of a transparent plastic material in which the endwise portion of the cap, which forms the closure for the mouth of the bottle, is of lens formation in cross section so as to serve as a magnifier for use in reading the bottle or label inscription when the cap is removed. In the alternative, the magnifying lens may be fixed inside the cap in any number of ways; the means illustrated in Figure 3 discloses the lens 5 being press-fitted inside the collar portion 4 and seated firmly against a small, integral, annular shoulder 7 which protrudes slightly from the inner circumference of the collar at its upper end.

The invention provides a built-in source of visual aid for the deciphering of bottle labels or other indicia in instances where a sick person is either without his eyeglasses or is unable to read the label due to the small size of the writing or poor lighting conditions.

Having described my invention, I hereby claim:

1. A magnifying cap for a longitudinally shaped bottle having an opening at one end and bearing a medicinal label on its side, said cap comprising a transparent circular cover portion configurated to provide a magnifying lens and a skirt portion, said skirt portion having a length substantially less than one-half of the longitudinal length of said bottle, said skirt portion being provided with a small annular shoulder protruding from an inner circumfereuce thereof adjacent one end of said skirt portion, said magnifying lens having a diameter slightly smaller than the inside diameter of said skirt portion, said lens portion being press-fitted within said skirt portion to fit firmly against the inner edge of said annular shoulder so that said skirt portion extends from the periphery thereof, said skirt portion including means to removably fasten the cap to the open end of the bottle such that the magnifying lens of the cover portion performs the double function of closing the open end of said medicine bottle when the cap is affixed thereto, and becomes available for use as a magnifying glass to read the label on the bottle when the cap is removed therefrom.

2. The cap as defined in claim 1 wherein said skirt portion is provided with a roughened outer surface so as to provide a means for gripping said skirt portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,206,437 Tracy July 2, 1940 2,222,042 Nitardy Nov. 19, 1940 2,413,252 Smith Dec. 24, 1946 2,853,182 Barnett Sept. 23, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 942,778 Germany May 9, 1956 

